The Joplin Globe

12/21/03 - Man's career takes a ride

Risk-taker gets support to launch bike shop

By Juliana Goodwin

Globe Staff Writer

When Steve Cooper sees something he wants, he zooms after it.

And over the years, his wife, Melissa, said she's learned not to be surprised by his next move.

"He's not afraid of change. I am. I can't stand change," Melissa said.

She has been a nurse for 17 years, and only switched jobs once.

In contrast, her husband is a chameleon, starting out his career as a Carthage police officer in 1985. Then turning to social services in 1992. In 1999, he joined Joplin High School as security and attendance officer.

Between all these scenes in life, Cooper also studied to become, and is still, a practicing chaplain for St. John's Regional Medical Center, something he said is a calling. Melissa is a registered nurse at Freeman Health Systems.

Since September, Cooper has been peddling full time to keep up with his new business, Spokes and Spandex, a retail bike and repair shop on 2020 E. Seventh St.

He puts in 42 hours a week at the shop, and 32 hours at St. John's.

It's hectic, but "when I see something I want to do, I do it," Cooper said.

At the store, which has a 70-bike floor display, he is the mechanic, cashier, janitor, a one-man show. Repair makes up nearly 20 percent of his business, but he'd like to raise it to 25 percent.

Until this summer, when Cooper trained in Colorado Springs, he wasn't a mechanic at all.

And six years ago, owning a bike shop was not even on the horizon. Cooper didn't have a bicycle growing up, and started riding as an adult to control his high blood pressure and weight. An exercise in discipline resulted in a passion.

Joplin High School

Cooper's stint at Joplin High School began shortly after he started riding and he was eager to share his newfound hobby. He rallied five people in the front office, including the associate and assistant principal, to hit the road on their bikes.

Associate Principal Jim Kimbrough and Cooper ride together every week. "He got me started and now I am hooked. It's just his enthusiasm. It's kind of exciting," Kimbrough said.

Assistant Principal Loretta Coburn said the front office is healthier because of him. "The whole front office has probably lost 75 pounds. We have a thinner front office," Coburn said.

Coburn sports a new title these days as well, not only is she the assistant principal, she's also his landlord.

Although Cooper had been talking about opening a bike shop for over a year, he was waiting to see if his position at the school would be eliminated due to budget cuts.

It was.

When the front office at Joplin High School found out he was moving on, they pitched in and helped him build his business. "I bought the building for the express purpose of I wanted him to have a place to start his business," Coburn said.

The 2,800-square-foot building, which includes the upstairs, was an old laundry mat and needed to be gutted. Kimbrough pitched in and helped with the manual labor, doing painting and general repairs.

The secretary at the school, Susan Foster, came up with the name for the store, which was put to a vote by high school employees.

Biking

Before he opened the store, Cooper said he needed to decide what products to carry. So he and Kimbrough hit the roads of Oklahoma, and tested a line of bicycles, logging 419 miles. It was a hectic summer for the entrepreneur, who also rode in Wyoming and Wisconsin, covering 2,000 miles this year.

"It was my best year ever," Cooper said.

The store carries two lines - Raleigh, one of the nation's oldest brands, and Specialized, a newer line with a company motto of "Innovate or Die."

Cooper said he's itching for the weather to warm so he can get back out. He has formed a racing club with seven members that is corporate sponsored, and is forming a leisure riding club, inviting his customers to join.

"Bikers are sort of a brotherhood, like motorcycle riders, but less macho," said Terry Publow, a physical therapist at St. John's, who plans to join the riding club and has completed several riding events with Cooper.

"He's a real encourager, listener, he's willing to go the extra mile," Publow said.

Ed Hahn, a day chaplain at St. John's, said he thinks Cooper's people skills will help him in business.

"He's an honest guy and he's not going to try and sell someone something they don't need. I think that expertise helps him in that business," Hahn said.

Customer service

Customer service can make or break a small business, said Cooper, and he strives to make the customer happy. The one thing Cooper said he can't stand is a pushy salesman.

"I don't try to steer them. I never want to be pushy. It's building relationships," Cooper said.

David Williams said he was impressed with Spokes and Spandex.

"I was looking at a couple of bikes at other shops and I wasn't really happy at the service I was getting there because when I had questions there wasn't really anybody to answer questions," Williams said. "I didn't know Steve Cooper from the moon."

When Williams went to the store, Cooper told him the best way to decide on a bike was to test it.

"I came back that afternoon and he had four bikes out there for me. I could have rode every bike in the shop and he wouldn't care. I was out riding and a dog started chasing me and I was peddling and I thought this bike really performs," Williams said.

Williams was sold. He has since bought a bike for his son at the store because if a customer buys a child's bike from Spokes and Spandex, the shopper can come back and trade it in for 50 percent off the next bike.

Cooper said he decided on the deal because as a father of two, Jacob, 13, and Ben, 12, the dad knows how fast they outgrow bikes.